Mental Wellness Around The Holidays

Check this out! You’d be surprised how you’re impacted by both seasonal and time changes and (sometimes by the stress of) holiday gatherings.

In the northern hemisphere, we experience less sunlight and cooler temperatures in the winter months. Around the same time, in November, the US experiences a return to standard time and our clocks are set back by one hour. Shortly thereafter, most of us begin to celebrate the various winter holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and of course, New Years.

The culmination of all these changes and shifts to the weather, our schedules, and daily activities impact us more than we’d care to acknowledge. Understanding how our body is impacted informs us how to better counter those effects before we get to a point of crisis.

Click on the images below to learn how to beat back some of the changes that impact us during this time of the year.

Seasonal Time Changes: Beginning in the early 20th century, the US government introduced hourly shifts to our daily schedules twice a year in order to cut down on electricity usage and prioritize daylight for business hours. Roughly a century later, the US Senate approved legislation to do away with this practice. Numerous organizations, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have also issued position statements calling for an end to seasonal time changes. Why, though? Seasonal time shifts have been associated with the following:

• Increased sleep loss & accrual of sleep debt

• Higher heart rate, blood pressure, & other cardiovascular concerns

• Mood disturbances

• Increase in traffic accidents & fatal crashes.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Most of us experience some degree of mood shift when the seasons change. The reduced light, along with cooler winter temperatures, tend to keep us indoors more so than the summer months. That reduced exercise, sunlight, and warmth impacts us all differently. Those who are impacted the worst, and experience symptoms year over year, are diagnosed with “seasonal affective disorder” or SAD. Some symptoms and other indicators that your body is processing the changing seasons are:

• Feeling depressed

• Losing interest in activities you enjoy

• Experiencing changes in appetite or weight

• Having problems with sleep

• Feeling sluggish or agitated

• Having low energy

• Having difficulty concentrating

• Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)

Holiday Gatherings: Celebrations with family and friends are causes to look forward to. They’re opportunities for us to bond, share experiences, food, and make memories together. Trying to balance multiple gatherings, recently losing a loved one, or attempting to navigate tense interactions or schedules can make a time for celebration a touch difficult. Whether it’s a sense of loss or being overwhelmed, these feelings can detract from the quality time that we want to spend with the people around us.

Sometimes we need just a little bit more support, and that's okay! Below are a list of local organizations and resources that provide mental health support to individuals local to Montgomery County & the greater Norristown area!

And sometimes educators and caregivers need some support as well, and that’s okay too! We need to care for ourselves if we’re going to care for others. Below is a list of resources available to NASD Staff!

If you need assistance accessing information needed for your benefits, including those listed below, please contact Emma Clancy at eclancy@nasd.k12.pa.us.

To keep the conversation going, we will be highlighting both student panels and staff interviews in the coming weeks. You will be able to find the content both here and on social media.

Norristown Area High School students were invited to a panel discussion on mental wellness to highlight their experiences with, insight of, and the ongoing need for mental wellness & mental health supports for people of ALL ages, language backgrounds, and economic means.

NASD district leaders, educators, and community members also spoke about their experiences, recognition for the need of, and continued pursuit for mental wellness for themselves and the communities in which they work.

Stay tuned for more information on these and other conversations on the subject matter!

Mental wellness is something that comes easy for some, and may be slightly more difficult to get a hold of for others. Connecting with support structures, no matter what they may look like, is deeply important to ensure that you’re not attempting to take this journey on by yourself.

There is a misconception that if someone is unable to maintain their mental wellness independently then there is something wrong or broken with them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

All of us - every last one - have been impacted by trauma, loss, and hardship. Processing those events as they have impacted us and coping with the ongoing changes taking place in our lives requires us to lean on one another.

And with that stated, enjoy a laugh and a little truth with this last graphic...

If you have questions or would like more information regarding resources, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at bratkiewicz@nasd.k12.pa.us.